Kevin Durant's honeymoon phase with the Rockets may be over after latest loss

The Houston Rockets lost the second night of a back-to-back to the Utah Jazz, 125-133, getting out-rebounded and out-manned throughout essentially the entire course of the game. That, in and of itself, is certainly not the end of the world.

Yet, the Rockets have had one of the strangest schedules in the NBA so far this season, and, as this pair of games represented their first back-to-back, it also could come to represent the first real trial for this new iteration of the Rockets.

To this point in the season, the team's new look, with Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun leading the offense, has looked hands down like one of the best fronts in the NBA. Yet, an 82-game season always brings unforeseen challenges, and it appears as though Houston is nearing the part of the season where they will need to grind out some wins.

Kevin Durant will now see the first of the demands that the Rockets will present him with this season

Even following the loss to the Jazz, this Houston team is nothing to sneeze at when compared to the rest of the NBA. As it stands, they are second in the league in offensive rating, third in defensive rating, first in offensive rebounding percentage and fourth in points per game.

Durant, moreover, has averaged 25.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 37.7% from 3-point range.

Yet, at the same time, their loss to Utah represents their first real loss to a non-contender this season. While Durant and Sengun were excellent, the inconsistent play of the rest of the team, and their inability to muster the energy to properly defend a clearly electrified Jazz team, represent a trend that must be nipped in the bud as soon as possible.

When the Rockets acquired Durant, many had concerns that, given their offensive struggles last season, the team would be overly dependent upon him to take over games. While that has not been the case so far, their loss to Utah revealed that, at times, the stagnancy they experienced last season will rear its ugly head.

An 82-game season will, by design, always have some stretches that will test the mettle of a team. The Rockets have not had that yet, and, thus, their loss to the Jazz should serve as a wake-up call. If this team wants to come out near the top of a loaded Western Conference, they will need to find a way to avoid performances like last night's becoming a routine affair.

As a contending team, Houston needs to take care of business against inferior teams no matter circumstances.

This means that, at times, they will need to lean on superhuman performances from Durant. As the team's superstar, that is what should be expected.

Although the Rockets have not been perfect, they have yet to really require that from Durant this season, and, thus, the loss to the Jazz could come to represent the beginning of the first true trial the team will face this season.